Learning Life Through Unschooling

Dec. 2, 2006

Calling all creative friends...

I have a quandry. A year or two PK (pre-kids), I purchased a couple of panels of fabric at a local store which I'm sure they don't sell anymore. They're identical and they are really great looking maps of the US. I made one into a play blanket for the kids yesterday (what else do you do when you're snowed in?) and the other...well, that's where you come in.

I have this idea of gluing this piece of fabric to a bulletin board and the kids and I can have fun placing push-pin markers of sorts in each state we've visited or each state we know someone or each state we studied, etc. The first problem with that is maintaining a legend so we can determine why there are say, two red flags in Arizona, denoting two families we know there - I'd like to have a list of what each flag specifically means, etc. But after searching for cork board, the other problem I've found that a 3' by 4' piece is quite expensive...and the hardware chains don't sell it either. (Of course if all that tax money I'm paying for public schools wasn't coming out of my pocket, I might not be always looking for cheaper items...hmmmph...don't get me started.) And I worry about the littlest ones and the push pins falling out, etc. Soooo....I'm wondering if there's a better route to go down in this train of thought. Any ideas?? I know I have some teachers who frequent my site and I know your heads are just swimming right now. So, throw it at me! I'm not afraid of tools or building things or crafts by any means. Just give me an outside-the-box thought or two, will ya? :)

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Comments

Dec. 2, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by eclecticeducation

I don't know if this would work, I'm just tossing it out. What about a magnetic board or a metal board and use magnets instead of push pins. I one time stuck stickers onto magnet sheets and cut around them. You could do this with state related stuff like a cactus for Arizona or Mouse Ears for California. You would need to test if before glueing to make sure the magnets were strong enough to stick with the fabic over. Just a thought. Good luck.

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Dec. 3, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by CatholicTitus2wife

What about foam core board? You can buy it at craft stores, it's inexpensive and *should* hold the push pins securely. We've used it for similar projects in the past. I hope you find something to work for you!

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